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Route · Within Tamil Nadu
Coimbatore to Ooty: Distance, Every Way to Get There and What It Costs
Ooty is about 100 km from Coimbatore by road. The first 45 km are flat, to Mettupalayam at the foot of the Nilgiris; the rest is a climb of hairpin bends. Here is every way to do it, the toy train included, what it costs, and where to stop.
Photo: Stephan Niewolik, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Text added by Trip Under.
Short answer
Coimbatore to Ooty is about 100 km by road, roughly 1 hour 50 minutes of driving on a clear road (a free-flow routing estimate; the ghat is slower). The cheapest way is a TNSTC bus, but we found no official or news-reported fare, so check the live fare. The slowest and best-known way is the train: a ₹10 MEMU to Mettupalayam, then the Nilgiri Mountain Railway up. The fastest is your own car: about ₹720 of petrol one way, and a Nilgiris e-pass for the vehicle.
How we worked it out. On 12 November 2026 we routed from Coimbatore (11.0168, 76.9558) to Ooty town (11.4127, 76.7031) with OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM) and read the roads and towns from its turn-by-turn steps. Routing times assume an empty road, so treat them as a floor. Fares come only from official notices or dated news reports; where we found none, we give no number. Open the route on Google Maps for live traffic.
Every way to get there
| Way | Route | Time | Cost, one way | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TNSTC bus | Coimbatore → Mettupalayam → Ooty | not confirmed | Check the live fare (no official or news fare found) | No TNSTC fare page or dated report found, 12 Nov 2026 |
| MEMU + toy train | MEMU Coimbatore Jn → Mettupalayam, then the Nilgiri Mountain Railway via Coonoor to Ooty | MEMU 1 h; toy train: check the timetable | MEMU ₹10 unreserved; toy train: check the live fare (₹550 second class and ₹1,000 first class before a 5% rise in Feb 2026) | MEMU: our Kotagiri page. Toy train: DT Next, 22 Feb 2026 |
| Own car | 100 km via Mettupalayam and the Kotagiri ghat road | 1 h 50 min free-flow | About ₹720 petrol; e-pass needed; tolls not checked | Petrol ₹108.63/l in Coimbatore, 11 Nov 2026; 15 km/l assumed |
- The bus. TNSTC runs buses from Coimbatore up to the Nilgiris, and our Kotagiri page notes that direct buses fill up at Coimbatore, so the train to Mettupalayam and a bus up from there is often easier. We found no Coimbatore–Ooty fare published by TNSTC or reported in the news with a date, so ask at the bus stand or check TNSTC's own site.
- The toy train. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage line, climbs from Mettupalayam to Ooty through Coonoor. Before Southern Railway raised base fares on regular services by 5% in February 2026, Mettupalayam–Ooty cost ₹550 second class and ₹1,000 first class (DT Next, 22 February 2026); the report did not give the new amounts, so check the live fare. We found no dated official timetable, so we give no times. To reach Mettupalayam, take the MEMU from Coimbatore Junction: about 1 h, ₹10 unreserved (our Kotagiri page).
- The car maths. 100 km ÷ 15 km a litre (our assumption for a petrol hatchback; yours may differ) × ₹108.63 a litre = about ₹720, or about ₹180 a person split four ways. We did not check road tolls on this route.
- The Nilgiris e-pass. Tourist vehicles need an e-pass to enter the Nilgiris, applied for online in advance on the Tamil Nadu e-pass portal, with a printout carried to the check post. After Madras High Court directions, entry is capped at 6,000 vehicles on weekdays and 8,000 on weekends and holidays; green tax and check-post fees are collected separately (Onmanorama, 1 May 2026). Tourists arriving by bus or train were exempt under the March 2025 order (DT Next, 14 March 2025). Check the rule before you go.
- Booking. Buy TNSTC tickets at the counter or check TNSTC's own site; toy train tickets are sold through Indian Railways. Aggregators list the same buses with private ones; Trip Under does not link to them and takes no commission.
The road and where to stop
Infographic · the route
Coimbatore to Ooty by road
About 100 km. Distances and road names: OSRM, 12 Nov 2026.
OSRM's route leaves Coimbatore north on the Sathyamangalam road (NH948), cuts across by Thudiyalur, Kovilpalayam and Karamadai, and joins the Avinashi–Mettupalayam road (SH80) into Mettupalayam, about 45 km in. There it takes SH15, the Mettupalayam–Kotagiri–Ooty road, up the Kotagiri ghat to Kotagiri (about 74 km from Coimbatore) and on across the plateau to Ooty. The other way up is the NH181 through Burliar and Coonoor, the side the toy train line also climbs; OSRM would not route over that ghat even when we added a Coonoor waypoint, so we give no distance for it.
Ghat driving. Both roads up from Mettupalayam are long chains of hairpin bends. Use a low gear going down, give way to buses on the bends, and do the climb in daylight.
- Mettupalayam (about 45 km from Coimbatore by OSRM): the last town on the plain, the railhead for the toy train, and the place to fill the tank and eat before the climb.
- Kotagiri (about 74 km by OSRM, on the road OSRM takes): the oldest hill station in the Nilgiris, with tea slopes, shola walks and the Kodanad viewpoint, and none of Ooty's traffic. Ooty is about 27 km on (our Kotagiri page).
- Masinagudi and Mudumalai, beyond Ooty: down the Kalhatti ghat, with its 36 hairpin bends (closed to some vehicles), to the forest at the foot of the hills, for the Theppakadu elephant camp and forest department safaris (our Masinagudi page).
When to go, and what a day costs
Ooty itself is not one of our place pages: Trip Under covers quieter places, and Kotagiri is our pick instead of Ooty. So the season and costs here are from our Nilgiris data for Kotagiri, up in the hills, and Masinagudi, at the foot of them.
Infographic · month by month
Kotagiri (Nilgiris hills) month by month
Month-by-month as text
Jan: Best · Feb: Best · Mar: Best · Apr: Best · May: Best · Jun: Passable · Jul: Passable · Aug: Passable · Sep: Good · Oct: Good · Nov: Good · Dec: Best
December to May is clear and dry, with cold nights in December and January. The monsoon (June to August) brings mist and rain on the ghat road; September to November is green but showery.
| Place | Best months (our scores) | Shoestring a day | Mid-range a day | Comfortable a day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kotagiri, 27 km before Ooty | Jan–May, Dec | ₹1,000 | ₹1,900 | ₹4,800 |
| Masinagudi and Mudumalai | Jan–Mar, Nov–Dec | ₹1,000 | ₹1,900 | ₹4,000 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the distance from Coimbatore to Ooty?
About 100 km by road (OSRM, 12 November 2026), via Mettupalayam and the Kotagiri ghat road.
How long does it take to drive from Coimbatore to Ooty?
About 1 hour 50 minutes on a clear road by routing estimate. The ghat is slow, so allow more.
What is the cheapest way from Coimbatore to Ooty?
A TNSTC bus. We found no official or news-reported fare, so check the live fare at the Coimbatore bus stand or on TNSTC's site.
Can I go from Coimbatore to Ooty by train?
Yes, in two parts: a MEMU from Coimbatore Junction to Mettupalayam (₹10 unreserved, our Kotagiri page), then the Nilgiri Mountain Railway up through Coonoor. Before a 5% rise in February 2026 the toy train cost ₹550 second class and ₹1,000 first class (DT Next); check the live fare.
Which road is better, via Coonoor or via Kotagiri?
Both start at Mettupalayam. The routing service we used takes the Kotagiri ghat (SH15) and would not route the Coonoor ghat (NH181), so we cannot give a like-for-like distance. Kotagiri is also a quieter place to stay than Ooty.
Do I need an e-pass to drive from Coimbatore to Ooty?
Yes for tourist vehicles: apply online on the Tamil Nadu e-pass portal before you travel. Entry is capped at 6,000 vehicles on weekdays and 8,000 on weekends and holidays (Onmanorama, 1 May 2026).
What is the best time to go from Coimbatore to Ooty?
In the Nilgiris hills our scores rate Jan–May, Dec best (Kotagiri data).
Sources and how we priced this
- Distance, drive time and roads: OSRM driving routes (router.project-osrm.org) from Coimbatore (11.0168, 76.9558) to Ooty (11.4127, 76.7031, the Udhagamandalam town point in OpenStreetMap) and to Kotagiri, with turn-by-turn steps, 12 November 2026. OSRM did not route over the NH181 Coonoor ghat.
- Bus fares: no official TNSTC fare and no dated news report found as of 12 November 2026.
- Toy train: DT Next, "Southern Railway announces 5% fare hike for Nilgiri Mountain Railway regular services" (updated 22 February 2026). No dated official timetable found. MEMU fare: Trip Under's Kotagiri page.
- E-pass and vehicle caps: Onmanorama, Ooty flower show guide (1 May 2026); DT Next on the Madras High Court caps and the bus and train exemption (14 March 2025).
- Fuel: petrol in Coimbatore ₹108.63 a litre on 11 November 2026 (Upstox fuel price page); 15 km a litre is our assumption. Tolls: not checked.
- Stops, season and daily costs: Trip Under's Kotagiri and Masinagudi pages and our cost model.
Keep reading
Ooty without the traffic
Kotagiri is the oldest hill station in the Nilgiris, about 27 km from Ooty and on the road up from Coimbatore: tea slopes, shola walks and the Kodanad cliff view. See its costs and how to get there.
Open the Kotagiri page →Fares, fuel prices and rules are as read on the dates given and change often; check the live fare and the e-pass rule before you travel. Distances and drive times are routing estimates. Daily costs come from Trip Under's place data and cost model (see methodology). Trip Under is not an agency and takes no commission on any booking.